hidden and mythical pt 2

Question 1

the piltdown man

Answer 1

ancestor of humans

- cranium, jaw and teeth excavated in Sussex

Question 2

when and where was pildown man excavated

Answer 2

1908-1915

Sussex, south of london

Question 3

fossil hominins discovered

Answer 3

none in britain

• neanderthals, germany 1856
• Cro Magnon man (homo sapiens) France, 1868
• Javan man (homo erectus), Java, 1890s

Question 4

missing link

Answer 4

hominins discovered were recent, wanted to find a form closer to ape-human
- Javan man had only human traits

Question 5

mosaic evolution

Answer 5

different aspects of phenotypes can change over type
- anthropologists wanted to clarify the mosaic nature of human evolution
guessing it was brain lead- got smarter then walked upright
but may be bi-pedalism first

Question 6

piltdown players

Answer 6

charles dawson: fossil collector
Sir anthony smith woodward: chief of natural history
Pierre teilhard de chardin: scientist/priest
sir arthur keith: anatomist
Martin Hinton: zoology at british museum
Sir anthony conan doyle: sherlock homes

Question 7

Sir arthur conan doyle

Answer 7

auther of sherlock homes, neighbour of doyle, participated in dig
- had a grudge against science “Cottingley fairies” may have wanted to embarass science

Question 8

what are the most significant of piltdown discoveries

Answer 8

fragments of 2 humanlike craniums
2 humanlike molar teeth
parts of apelike lower jaw

Question 9

how was the piltdown man discoveries received

Answer 9

mix of human and ape traits supported idea that ancestors had bigger craniums
- some suspicion but hard to accuse scientists

Question 10

when was the hoax exposed

Answer 10

1953 –> bones and teeth found to be modern and artifificially stained

• teeth were chimp and had file marks
• jaw was orangaton

Question 11

who is #1 suspect

Answer 11

charles dawson- fossil collector

- made most discoveries and in situ

Question 12

what does the hoax mean for science

Answer 12

shows science is working b/c want to find hoaxes and find the truth
- although often used by creationists to disprove science and invalidate

Question 13

how do stories arise and spread

Answer 13

observation of real organisms
a priori reasoning
confounding of 2+ organisms or phenomena 
second hand reporting
mistranslation
exaggeration- satisfying a craving for wondrous, unusual and freakish 
authorities are given too much credit
difficulty to verify